


TALON

by embryonic_trite



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Romance, Court of Owls, Dick Grayson is a Talon, F/M, New 52, Romance, Talon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 02:57:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4505073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embryonic_trite/pseuds/embryonic_trite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[another AU in which Dick becomes Talon] Dick Grayson, once Nightwing now converted to a Talon for the Court of Owls, runs into an old teammate on a mission.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. TALON

Left hand.

Right hand.

Duck.

Kick.

Raven was close to running until she felt her opponent's hand on her ankle, capitulating to his force and falling palms first – a few seconds later would've made it nose first and she already had enough blood on her body.

Like an instinct, Raven turned onto her back and held her knees to her chest, her attacker was leaping at her and it most definitely wasn't for a hug. With the soles of her boots, she pushed him off her and sent him flying some ways away.

She didn't waste time to jump back onto her feet and run towards the exit. She decelerated once she met the door, pulling at the handle to pry it open. No such luck, the damn thing was locked.

"Shit."

She felt a hand on one hand on her neck and another on her waist, pulling her into a human wall; his weapons were piercing her back and his grip on her was too close to choking.

Raven pulled her arm back in hopes of crumbling the wall (giving her time to escape through the way she came), but her assailant predicted her elbowing and caught it in his hand. He twisted her arm in a way that should not be twisted – Raven didn't cry out, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.

He turned her around and forced her against the concrete wall, his hand still on her neck to hold her down.

"Please," she whispered.

He didn't even budge, that included not tightening his grip thankfully.

She tried once more. "Please… don't," she hated how helpless she sounded but he needed to hear her pleas. "Richard… stop… please," she wheezed out.

He glared at her, his baby-blue eyes piercing into hers, "Why should I?" he asked, obviously the question was rhetorical but her answer might amuse him.

"Richard… I'm your… friend," she said.

He tightened his grip on her neck, forcefully sliding her upwards against the wall. "I don't have friends." He pulled a knife from his belt in a matter of seconds.

"Yes… yes you…  _Dick_  stop please." Ignoring her, he raised his hand.

Feeling absolutely helpless, Raven put a glowing hand on the arm he had strangling her neck.  _Richard I'm here. Let me go._

_I can't._

She was quite surprised to get a response.  _Richard why are you doing this?_

 _Because… you left me for dead… you promised you would never leave my side._ He unconsciously loosened his grip on her neck.

"I didn't… leave your… side," she said in between pants, "You left me."

Had anyone seen his expression, they would've seen Dick's eyes falter slightly – but Raven wasn't just anyone.

"You tried…to save… Roy," she said, inwardly cringing at her memory, "We thought… we thought you were dead." She could see that she was slowly getting to him. "The court… found you…"

He glared seeming to forget the knife in his hand… or the fact that Raven was supposed to be his enemy.

"They hurt you," she said, looking at the noticeable slashes on his neck, "They tortured you… they made you into this…please, Richard."

He regained his composure and tightened his grip again, but enough to still let air flow through, "They taught me not to waste my fucking time on emotions… they taught me how not to feel."

At that, she almost cried. The torture of feeling numb and trapped was something she was quite familiar with. She reached out and grabbed his hand, pushing it down so the knife was at his side.

" _Dick_ …stop this," her eyes begging, "I love you."  _I love you_

He wasn't expecting her confession, that much was obvious. This gave her enough time to slap his arm away from her neck and pull his collar towards her so their torsos were touching.

She chastely pecked his lips, just before wrapping her arms around his shoulders, face buried into his neck. Raven knew very well that if she lost Dick forever, he would take this opportunity to literally stab her in the back, but his hesitance gave her hope that he was slowly coming back to her.

She felt something on her back, only to realize that it was his hand and not a knife. She looked up at him and repeated, "I love you, Dick," she leaned in and gave him one more small kiss.

She was about to pull away had Dick not forced her back towards him. She felt a wetness between their faces only to realize she had been crying… Dick always had a way of making her express emotions.

He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. His eyes lightly flickered to the black band around her left hand… a small tattoo around her ring finger that said  _Grayson_.

Raven felt him playing with the ends of his hair, pulling her towards him and nuzzling his nose against her collarbone. It was safe to say that his five years of training with the Court of Owls was just flushed… she emotionally compromised him.

She didn't say anything; she pat his head and tried to conceal the rest of her tears, shushing him. He tightened his grip on her.

"Oh god, Raven," he moaned against her chin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can honestly say that the Night of Owls arc is my favorite in the New 52


	2. REDEMPTION

One side of the display case contained a tattered unitard, a blue emblem, resembling a wing-spread bird; splashed across the upper torso. All of the frayed lines made on the spandex were perfectly straight, the diagonal slash across the head of the logo was no exception. A domino mask - the black outline shaped similar to the unitard's emblem - hung above the unitard, a darkish brown stain went across the left eye.

The other side contained another uniform, this one almost completely black. A brown belt, containing at least four knives for throwing, hung over the chest like a sash. The grip of the sword stuck out behind the right shoulder. Only by touching the uniform would hidden knives be found. The mask hanging above this one resembled an executioner's hood but the eye holes were filled with other lenses; the hood strongly resembled a face of an owl.

Dick Grayson softly slammed his fist against the plexiglass surrounding the uniforms, and placed his forehead next to it. Any normal person would pass by thinking he was breaking down. But training with the Court may have sold his limbic system on the black market, his own emotions weren't at their normal levels if even apparent.

A hesitantly soft hand rested on his shoulder, and it took almost everything in Dick not to strike back (a learned reflex). He felt the touch against the back of his right shoulder, lightly fingering the area of burned flesh.

He turned and met Raven, "business" partner at one point but personal at most. She removed her hand from his body once he faced her.

She watched his azure pupils scan over the maroon scrubs underneath her hooded, olive military jacket; Raven couldn't help but feel self-conscious and wrapped her arms around her chest.

The smirk on his face was obviously not even a try at faking happiness, "How was work, Rave?" he asked.

To say Raven knew him too well was an understatement. She grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped at the sweat on his right eyebrow. Once she finished, he grabbed her wrist and placed her palm against his cheek, leaning into her touch.

"What are you doing down here?" she asked barely over a whisper.

He didn't bother asking how she found him; he closed his eyes and said, "I couldn't sleep."

The watch on her wrist made a ding when the watch hit 2:30 AM. "I'm sorry," she replied, "I had a double shift today. And I've tried shortening my hours but -"

"It's not that."

She felt slightly paralyzed when he quickly removed her hand from his face and turned to face the uniforms. Her eyes averted to the floor, not wanting to look at the various stitches, burns, and cuts on his back.

He stared at his reflection, this version of himself transparently blending into his Talons uniform. He bit his lower lip, applying enough pressure to reopen a cut on his lip.

"I don't know what else I can do to prove myself," he said to the uniform, "Every sneeze, every step, everybreath… they're waiting for proof that I'm going to snap and go back to…" he clenched a fist at his side, but didn't punch the display.

Raven winced slightly, his projectile anger slightly overwhelming, but she understood. The Court did a number on him. He was being questioned and observed by the Justice League since his return. They didn't see the guilt living in his eyes because the worst mob of Gotham gave him a list to hit; they whipped his soul to a point where no one could tell if the slightest sense of remorse was even present.

* * *

Filling out an IOU for Cyborg, Raven assisted Superman in transporting a family out of Gotham, a primary target for the Court of Owls. Superman took a group of disguised Leaguers as a decoy while Raven took the real family.

"Raven!"

She turned to the voice, but was forced against the wall for the umpteenth time that night. She was always told never go face to face with the Talons.

"Rav -"

She turned to see who called her, only to close her eyes to prevent blood reaching her eyeballs. She was forced down to the ground… next to the dead bodies of the little girl and her father. Looking up, she saw the mother was only a few minutes away from literally bleeding the life out against the concrete.

If she could get over their and use her powers to -

"Aaagh!" she yelped as she felt a boot against her ankle, preventing her from reaching the dying mother.

She growled in her throat when she saw a Talon applying unhelpful pressure to her leg.

"Burn in Hell," she seethed through her teeth, cursing herself for even crying out.

The Talon removed his boot and leaned down so he was eye-to-eye with Raven, carving different marks into her leg with his knife. "Met Dad already, Raven."

* * *

"Dick it's just going to take some time," she said, attempting reassurance.

He exhaled, "That's the thing, Rave," he said, "By the time I've proven myself to them I'll be less than useless."

She walked up and held his face in her hands once again, "Is the League's approval really that important to you?"

He avoided her eyes when he answered, "I don't know… maybe if… if they give me the green light I… I'll finally be able to move on."

Dick felt her pull his head towards hers, their eyebrows able to touch, and he rested his hands on her hip as his fingers lightly grazed the skin underneath her scrubs.

"Dick, seeking the League's approval isn't going to substitute your own opinion of yourself," she said, "The only one really stopping you from moving on is you."

"I can't just forgive myself for everything, Raven," he whispered into her forehead, "Especially after I hurt you."

"Oh, Dick," she cooed, kissing his cheek, "I of all people know everything about redemption. I gave into my father -"

He tried to interrupt, "Raven."

But she ignored him, "and I found a way to be good again. It… it took me a while to realize that maybe I won't forgive myself… but I'm not going to let my life stop progressing because of a choice I made. I…I can't forget the fact that I was steps away from killing, well, everybody. So I won't."

He looked at her, fingering a lock of her hair as he placed a kiss on her nose. Dick started playing with the scarf around her neck as his nose grazed her scalp, inhaling the smell of shea butter in her hair (an odd scent considering he was so used to the smell of lavender).

"You're right, Raven," he said, "I shouldn't be worried about the League's approval. Not… not when all that matters is if you believe in me." He cradled his face in his hands, resting his forehead against her own (she doesn't seem bothered by the night sweat against her skin).

"And I do," she said as she wrapped her arms around his waist, "It's going to take awhile to convince me otherwise."


End file.
